I’m a 20-something living in Boston. My day job is working as a software developer at a startup, but to find me in the evenings just follow the trail of thread and listen for the soft whir of the machine. The aforementioned sewing machine is a hand-me-down Elna from my mother. The sewing skillz are also hand-me-downs from my very talented mother. Read more.

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Month: April 2014

I know I am so late to this party, but I saw Moonrise Kingdom for the first time a couple of weeks ago. What an adorable movie! I have loved Wes Anderson ever since I first saw The Life Aquatic when I was in high school and immediately knit myself a little red cap just like in the movie. I had a similar feeling the moment I saw this cute little pink dress in Moonrise Kingdom:

I made my version out of a pink linen from my stash:

The pattern is a bit of a hack. The skirt you may recognize as a Deer and Doe Belladone, with some of the fullness taken out of it (but pockets intact!), the bodice is Burda 2/2014 #101, and the collar and cuffs are self drafted. I used Gertie’s series of videos on collar drafting to draft the collar. Her instructions were great but I wasn’t thrilled with the end result. I think the problem is primarily that I used the wrong weight of interfacing. The collar is wicked stiff and needs a lot of pressing to lay flat. BUT all that being said, I love the dress and I’ve been wearing it all the time!

This was my first time working with linen, and it was a dream to sew with. Coming off of a run with silk chiffon, velvet and rayon challis, I was looking for something easier to work with and that’s what I got! The layout and cutting was a dream compared to the rayon. No special foot or hand basting required here, what a nice break!

We took these photos on the farm while we were home visiting my dad for Easter. My dad’s kitten Thelma came along for the photo shoot. Even after she jumped out of the basket she followed us quite a ways up the road- like a little dog.

I think my latest obsession has arrived! Leather, leather, leather. I have been accumulating and hoarding small pieces of leather over the past few months every time I see it on sale. But I was too afraid to dive in and make anything with it until just this week. AND I’M IN LOVE.

I cant tell you exactly what kind of leather this is, since lezbereal, I dug it out of a bargain bin. But it was labeled as EITHER goat or lambskin, so it must be one of the two. I vaguely envisioned making a couple of coin purses when I purchased it, but it seemed too wonderful to cut into tiny pieces when I got it home so I opted for a laptop sleeve in the end.

This Liberty of London print was practically MADE to go with this red leather. When I was looting through my stash for something to line the bag with and came across this scrap, I immediately danced around in excitement. Basically, I’m in love with this combo.

Unfortunately, despite my haphazard careful sizing of this bag, my laptop did not even come close to fitting through the opening. I believe the root of the problem is the zipper. It would have been better to make a zipper that goes across the top and down the side a bit. I saw a tutorial for this (and really the whole thing she’s making here is too cute) on craft passion, but I was afraid to try any around-the-corner zip installation on my first leather project.

Despite being a lost cause as a laptop sleeve, I am quite pleased with it and have been using it as a little clutch instead. It fits all my essentials and I mean IT’S ADORABLE. All told, it cost about $16 to make. The leather was $15, and the zip and interfacing make up the other $1. The lining was just a large leftover scrap from last summer’s Datura, so I’m not counting that. American Apparel is charging $65 for these bitches. The AA version doesn’t appear to be lined and according to their website, 14 of the colors on offer contain too much lead to be sold in the state of California, so I think I made out pretty well all told….

Nothing like a quick and easy circle skirt to start your week right. Spring has finally sprung here in Boston, so I’m breaking out the maxis! This one is a 1/4 circle made using Fickle Sense’s tutorial. I’m actually not usually a huge fan of the big flowy skirt, but I think a 1/4 circle makes the perfect maxi. It’s not too big and billowy for my taste, and it has such a sleek waistline.

The skirt is made up in rayon challis. You might recognize the red in the waistband from my last post. It’s great for a skirt like this, light and airy without being see-through.

I didn’t think a lot about pattern placement because I frankly I don’t usually sew with prints. The end result is that I don’t love what’s going on in the back here, but I can live with it.

My trusty photographer and I traipsed around Boston this weekend enjoying the weather, and I snuck in some photos everywhere we went. This one was taken in the public garden.

And in this week’s episode of not my brownstone….

I think the skirt is really complimented by this pricy South End real estate!

Stay tuned for upcoming adventures…..I bought the craftsy class on working with leather!